Riku's POV

Hikari's blood-curdling scream was heart wrenching. Riku tightened his fists further, causing his knuckles to turn white and a thin trail of blood to drip down as his fingernails pierced his skin. His chest ached with grief and pure anger as the evil fairy began to pour her own Darkness into Hikari's heart while at the same time tainting the natural Darkness already present, just as she had done to him nearly two years before.

However, this was different, for while Riku had welcomed the Darkness, Hikari's body was rejecting the foreign power, causing the pain she was currently enduring. She was clutching the spot of her chest where her heart resided underneath, trying desperately to cast out the invading darkness. Her wings appeared -tearing holes in the back of her vest once more- and began to thrash wildly like a trapped bird, the evil green aura outlining them. Feathers scattered as the powerful wings smashed into the ground, shattering the stone with loud cracks. Hikari continued to cry out in pure agony with the combination of Darkness invading her body and the sheer pain shooting through her thrashing wings as they collided with the floor, littering it with feathers and splatters of blood.

I can't take this! Summoning all his strength, Riku yanked at his chains, pulling the end away from the Heartless, and rushed towards Hikari. It took Pete a moment to realize what was going on, but by then, Riku was only a few feet away from reaching the winged girl.

Everything seemed to go in slow motion as Hikari suddenly stopped screaming and looked over her shoulder so her eyes met his. However, her expression and eyes were blank as she held out a hand and whispered a single word.

"Run."

Riku had no time to react as a golden light suddenly manifested from Hikari and exploded, lighting up the whole room with a blinding force and creating a shockwave that sent him and everyone else flying backwards. The ground trembled as the ceiling of the audience chamber was blown clean off and pillars began to crumble, pieces of stone falling and crushing the Heartless like ants under a boot. Winds tore through the building, almost as if a tornado was rampaging through the entire keep. It was nothing short of chaotic.

Only a few seconds passed before the light faded and the gale ceased. The tremors slowed to a halt and what was left of the destroyed room stopped collapsing.

Seeing that the mayhem had ended, Riku crawled out from beneath the crevice made by two pillars that had fallen over him and got to his feet. As he dusted himself off, the manacles that once bound his wrists fell to the floor with a mechanical clang, somehow being unlocked by the light earlier. He surveyed his surroundings, noting that Maleficent and Pete were no where in sight, perhaps having teleported somewhere safe at the last moment. Hikari, however, seemed to be no where in sight. The Keyblade Master cupped his hands over his mouth and called out the angel's name, but he was only met with silence.

And the appearance of a Soldier Heartless.

Instincts kicking in, Riku summoned his Keyblade -The Way to Dawn- and slashed through the Heartless, destroying it with a single strike and releasing the heart it held. The youth paused for a moment before realizing he was suddenly able to summon his Keyblade that not too long before refused to appear. Was it those shackles that prevented me from summoning it?

"Young Keyblade Master, above you." The same voice that had come from Hikari's ocarina sounded nearby, though the direction was undetermined.

Still, Riku trusted the voice's word and looked up, stunned by the scene that he was met with.

Directly above him, Hikari was floating some twenty feet in the air, her body parallel with the ground and outlined by the same golden aura from before. Her dress had replaced her normal travel clothing and her wings were folded neatly against her back.

"Grab hold of Hikari," the voice said once more. "I will try and send you somewhere safe from there."

Riku only nodded before he began to quickly climb a fallen pillar, never letting his eyes leave the young angel. Once he could climb no further, he took a running start and propelled himself off the structure, reaching out to get a hold on Hikari. However, his fingers only managed to brush Hikari's, but that was all that was needed as a golden sphere of light suddenly encircled both Keyblade wielders. Riku's eyes grew wide as he felt the light shift upward into the sky, taking them with it and disappearing from sight.

In the world between realms…

"So much for using that witch."

"She served her purpose, although her tapping into the girl's Darkness was not well foreseen."

"It does not matter. Nothing has changed and our plans will continue as scheduled."

"Still, what does that old coot have planned anyway? What point is there to keep that boy here?"

"Do you doubt the master?"

"Pftt, as if. But you gotta wonder what goes through that old coot's mind."

XXXXX

"Look over there, Leon. Hikari's back!"

Riku groaned and slowly started to come to. He felt warm sunshine on his body as he began to open his eyes.

Footsteps began to sound, coming closer and closer.

"That's not Hikari; it's Riku!"

The silver-haired teen opened his eyes completely to see the orange sun setting behind several households.

"You okay, Riku?"

Said boy looked up to see Yuffie looming over him. "Y-Yeah; I think so."

"What's with the wings?" Leon questioned.

Riku blinked in confusion, then looked to discover the shadows in front of him were not shadows at all, but rather large wings much like Hikari's, but were instead that of a silver-blue, similar to his hair color. With a single thought, the wings pulled back, revealing an unconscious Hikari safely tucked underneath.

"Hikari!" All three of them said together.

Riku was instantly up on his knees, his wings disappearing in a small flash of gold.

"What happened?" Yuffie had a deeply concerned look on her face as she eyed Hikari.

Riku put his arms under Hikari's body and picked her up. With little effort, he got to his feet, holding the angel bridal style. "I'll explain later. Let's get Hikari someplace safe for now."

Leon nodded in agreement. "He's right. Let's head back to Merlin's." With that, he led the way out of the square and towards the wizard's home, Yuffie and Riku close behind.

"Set her down right there and I'll go get Merlin."

Riku walked over to the bed the young ninja girl indicated and gently placed Hikari on it. His heart ached with worry when he looked down at the girl's still body, her chest barely rising and falling. She had felt like ice when he had carried her and her skin was unnaturally pale.

"Alright, lads. Give me some room."

Riku looked over his shoulder to see Merlin coming over to the bedside. The teen stepped away and left the wizard to tend to Hikari. When he exited the room, he heard fast-approaching footsteps, but before he could react, a familiar red-head plowed into him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Riku, you're here!" Kairi nearly shrieked.

Sad teen blinked in surprise. "Kairi? What are you doing here? H-How did you-"

Kairi let go of her friend and smiled up at him. "Hikari saved me."

"Hikari did?" Riku was surprised to hear this, but before Kairi could explain, there was a loud gasp and thud that came from the bedroom.

The two islanders rushed back into the room to find Merlin leaning against the wall across from Hikari's bed, rubbing his head and pained look on his face. Leon and Yuffie stared at the wizard with shocked expressions.

"What happened?" Riku questioned, searching around for any Heartless, but finding none.

Kairi hurried over to the wizard and helped the elder to his feet.

Once standing, Merlin thanked the red-head before dusting off his blue robes and stating "I'm not quite so sure myself. I tried to place my hand above young Hikari, starting a spell, when this golden light suddenly surrounded her and threw me back."

Leon put a hand to his chin in thought. "It could be some sort of defense mechanism created by her powers, but…"

"But what?" Kairi asked.

"Well, you see, Riku carried Hikari all the way from the center of town square, but nothing happened," Yuffie explained.

Riku nodded in agreement. "If what happened to Merlin was some way of protecting Hikari, then I should have been affected too."

"Maybe it's a Keyblade Wielder thing," Kairi suggested, bringing all eyes to her. "Think about it; Hikari said she didn't get her powers awakened until she got her Keyblade, so maybe only Keybladers like her can come into contact with her body when she's in a state like this."

Merlin stroked his beard hearing this. "Being as we know so little about the true power of the Keyblade, that theory is the most probable one there is. Shall we test it?"

Kairi began to step forward to see if her assumption was true, but the sound of footsteps coming from the hallway stopped her. All eyes turned to the doorway just as a small child with oak-brown hair rushed into the room, hurried past everyone, and , in one leap, jumped onto the edge of the occupied bed and curled up against Hikari, crying.

"Oneesan; Please wake up, oneesan," the little girl sobbed.

Aerith then came into the room, her arms full of multi-colored flowers and a worried look on her face. "It's bad, isn't it?"

Most of them refused to meet her eyes, silence washing over those present.

Sympathy, however, overcame Riku and he walked over to the child. He placed a hand on her shoulder and when she looked up, he gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry; Hikari's in good hands," he stated. After a moment's thought he added "Are you her sister?"

The girl nodded, wiping away her tears. She sniffled and replied "Uh-huh. I'm Chise, but who are you?"

"I'm Riku, a friend of Hikari, and I promise you that everything is going to be just fine."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Chise smiled a little, then looked back at her sister. "The last time she went to sleep like this, the doctors said she'd never wake up."

This information stung at Riku's heart, as it seemed to have to same effect on everyone else in the room.

"So this has happened before?" Yuffie questioned.

Chise gave another nod, then began to explain.

XXXXX

Third Person POV

In a dark realm, a lone figure was wandering aimlessly. She was staring absently at the dirt path she was walking, no emotions visible on her fair skinned face or in her clouded teal eyes. One might say she was nothing more than an empty shell, like a Nobody trying to seek out its long-lost heart. However, this girl was still very much human, as large Heartless known as Darksides were lurking nearby, but for some reason keeping a safe distance, as if they were afraid of the girl.

As the sole being traveled deeper and deeper into the darkness, a voice could be faintly heard in the distance. At first, the girl paid no mind to it, either that or failed to even hear it. Still, the voice kept calling out, slowly getting louder each time. By the fifth time, she finally took notice, if the slight perk of her head was any indication.

"Do I know that voice?" She asked herself, barely above a whisper. "Who are they calling to?"

The voice continued to get louder, sounding clearer every time.

"...ri! ...kari! Hikari!"

Hikari's POV

All of a sudden, I felt someone grab my arm and I suddenly fully aware of what was happening; I had one foot off the path, leaving me teetering between the flat surface and a bottomless abyss below. I let out a gasp just as I was pulled away from the edge and into the embrace of my savior. My heart was racing as I failed miserably to try and calm myself.

When it seemed as though my lungs would offer no more air, a hand was placed on my head. I looked up and gasped once more when I saw who the hand belonged to.

Master Aqua looked down at me with concerned yet soft eyes. She was stroking my head in a motherly fashion, quickly calming me. For a moment, I forgot that I was in that dark void, but back home as a kid again, my grandmother rocking me back and forth and singing to me.

It quickly passed, however, and I was once more back in reality. When my voice returned, I asked "Master Aqua?"

She nodded back and sighed as if relieved, a smile on her face. She took a step back from me before replying "Thank goodness I caught you in time."

I blinked in confusion, not quite sure as to what she meant. "What do you mean?" I looked around me and added "What happened and where are we?"

Aqua took my hand and lifted it so it was within my line of sight, revealing my current state.

I felt my heart stop for a moment when I saw right through my hand. I looked down at the rest of my body, finding the same thing. I brought my eyes back to Master Aqua, feeling my body tremble. "Master Aqua; what's going on?"

The blue-haired woman sighed and shook her head. "I'm not sure. I lost our connection right after you were knocked unconscious by Pete, so I have no way of knowing how you wound up here. All I know is that the moment I sensed you again, your presence was weak, but definitely coming from here."

Upon hearing this, I took another look at my surroundings, and I finally realized where exactly we were; The Realm of Darkness. "Did I fall into darkness when Maleficent tampered with my heart?"

"I do not believe that is the case," Master Aqua replied, bringing my eyes back to her once more. "If you had truly fallen in, your body should be here as well, but it doesn't seem that that's what happened. I believe this is not so different from when you and I first met at the Dark Margin."

I looked down at my chest and placed a hand on it. "So only my heart is here?"

Aqua nodded. "However, I sense that there is something off about your presence."

"Yeah. I feel kinda empty inside, almost as if I've lost something dear to me and can never get it back. I can't feel the connection to my body like the other times, so I don't think I can simply will myself to return to it."

"What do you remember prior to you finding yourself here?"

I shuddered at the memory, my spiritual body going numb just remembering. "Maleficent trying to add to the Darkness already in my heart and the pain. It felt as though I was drowning and couldn't breathe, and how I wanted to cast it out… Then there was this light, and the next thing I know, you're pulling me away from the ledge."

Master Aqua seemed to process this information for a few moments before shaking her head again. "I can't explain how exactly you got here, but it almost seems as though your powers reacted in the form of that light you saw in order to protect you."

I looked back down at my chest, still confused. If that was what had happened, how was I gonna get back?